5 years after woman vanished in Idaho, ex-boyfriend is arrested for her murder

A man has been arrested and charged with murder in the 2019 disappearance of his ex-girlfriend in Idaho. 

Rae Allison Berwanger was reported missing on March 7, 2019. During the investigation into her disappearance, the Bonner County Sheriff’s Office looked at her ex-boyfriend, Jordan Jarrad Law, as a person of interest, according to a news release. 

Law, 46, lived near Berwanger, who was 54 at the time of her disappearance. She was last seen at his home, according to CBS affiliate KREM. Berwanger had been struggling with substance use, family members told KREM, but was making strides towards sobriety shortly before her disappearance. 

Berwanger’s brother-in-law, Jimmie Bailey, told officials that he went to Law’s residence after the couple had a “falling out,” according to court documents reviewed by KREM. Berwanger told Bailey that she wanted to move to Washington state. After Berwanger disappeared, Law told officials that she had spoken about leaving the area, and said she might have gone to visit a friend.

Law also told detectives that he had sold Berwanger a vehicle for $800 three days before her disappearance. Law said both Berwanger and the vehicle had disappeared, but that he had found the car abandoned at an intersection two days later and transported it back home. 

According to police, detectives later found that Law had used Berwanger’s bank cards at two establishments after her disappearance, taking out $1,200 in $400 increments. Security cameras showed him driving the car he said he had sold Berwanger, KREM reported. Law was arrested for allegedly using the bank card, according to KREM. 

Police said Tuesday that a “lengthy investigation” into Law finally resulted in murder charges. 

He was indicted on a charge of murder in the second degree, a charge of offering false evidence and a charge of destroying evidence. Law also faces two charges of rape, which police said were “relevant to an additional victim that was discovered during the investigation.” 

Law was arrested in Spokane, Washington on Wednesday, police said. 

Police said that evidence from the Idaho State Police’s Sexual Assault Kit Initiative helped lead to the charges, but did not elaborate on how.